Full of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has quite an agenda if you are with my family. We really enjoy the day. We usually try to catch a little of the Macy's parade. Sometimes there is a last minute store run (if one is open). I might get drafted to peel some potatoes or slice the turkey. I might take some time to see what games will be on later and plan accordingly. Of course there is the dinner that will be a wonderful feast. After that I will probably help clean-up (unless I don't have to!) And then it is football and a nap. After which, it is football and pumpkin pie...after which it is football, leftovers, pie, maybe a movie, more leftovers, more football, until delirium causes us all to put another Thanksgiving to bed.

It has been quite a day...what a Thanksgiving! But in spite of all of its 'fullness,' my Thanksgiving has lacked something: thanksgiving. The challenge for all of us is to carve out some time to say thank you while carving our turkey. Oddly taking time for thanksgiving is low on the Thanksgiving agenda.

I am certainly in favor, both personally and profesionally, of what we all have been doing to celebrate Thanksgiving. We need to celebrate. I just think that being thankful is essential as a regular practice of our lives; and most especially on a day of Thanksgiving.

Find a quiet place with nothing more to do than focusing on every blessing you have. Your blessings are God's fingerprints on your life. You can see where God has been in your life when you see how you have been blessed. Knowing God has been in your life especially when times are tough is important. Don't let another Thanksgiving pass without thanksgiving...it will be good to know God has been there too.

Leaving the Middle

Moses' journey from Midian to Egypt in answer to God's call to set Israel free was spiritual as much as it was physical. The bold man of God who faced Pharaoh in Exodus 5 is hardly the timid doubter of Exodus 4.

In his journey to Egypt he left Midian and the middle. Even the name has 'mid' in it. He left the moderation and compromise that had characterized his life for the clarity and commitment of total surrender to God. It is best seen in the strange text of Exodus 4:24-26. Moses' dramatic encounter with God reveals the compromise even one who was going to serve God was willing to accept.

To compromise is to ignore a principle for a perceived personal benefit. Moses was ignoring God's command to circumcise his son. His motivation, based on his wife's reaction, appears to be a desire to please her. What is obvious here is that God despises compromise.

And when Moses' began to live in complete commitment to God and run from compromise his doubts began to melt away and he became a confident man of God. Remember James 1tells us "a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Live truly before God, run from compromise and see the confidence in you grow.

Go Buckeyes, Beat Michigan!

The third Saturday in November is always a big week for those of us from Ohio and Michigan as the Buckeyes and Wolverines square off for the greatest rivalry in sports. Often the national championship or at least a trip to the Rose Bowl was on the line. The buildup is often so big that it is difficult to win the next game. Of late the Bucks have gotten the better of the Wolves. In the 90's Michigan consistently won. Ebbs and flows have characterized the series even though only 2 games separate the teams over the last 90 years. So this is Michigan week and we Buckeyes are fired up and ready. Go Bucks!

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together

In the 80's a popular show called the A-Team featured a character who, after the successful completion of a seemingly impossible mission, would always say, "I love it when a plan comes together!" A week ago Sunday I talked about obeying the nudges God gives, which are sometimes small and sometimes as big as a burning bush. This past week I talked about how doing what God wants is often difficult to do, but that his plan always works. When we follow him both of us end up saying, "I love it when a plan comes together!"

The text we used was, Exodus 4:18-29 where Moses sets out for Egypt in response to God's calling to free Israel from slavery. Moses tells his father-in-law that he is going to go back to Egypt to see if any of his relatives are still alive. Does that sound confident to you? Is this a man on a mission, full of passion for God's call on his life? No, he sounds like someone who is filled with doubt. This is good news for me because--I have doubts, too. Moses was a super star believer...but he doubted. This passage leads me to one conclusion: When doing what God wants, it is normal to have doubts and imagine problems, because following God is difficult and foreign.

Here is a probable list of some of Moses' doubts:
a. Will they kill me when I show up?
b. How will Pharaoh react?
c. Will Aaron buy in to my leadership and accept his role?
d. Are the people still alive?
e. How will the people respond to my leadership?

In Exodus 4 God helps Moses' with all his doubts; but he did it because of vs. 20. In spite of his doubts, Moses,

“...took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey for the return trip to Egypt. He had a firm grip on the staff of God.”

The key is to obey and hold on to God.

We will never overcome our doubts, waiting for God to remove them before we act. God always wants us to have faith and take the first step for which he then rewards us. It makes following God stressful sometimes, but always exhilirating! God dealt with each of Moses' doubts but it was only after Moses dealt with his own unwillingness to trust God. And that's when the plan starts coming together!

Tribes

The word immediately creates an image. But for me a new meaning has developed in my thoughts thanks to the book by the same title. Tribes, written by Seth Godin has sparked a revolution in my thinking. The jist of Tribes is that lasting and substantive change can be best effected by a tribe: a group of people connected to each other, to a leader and to an idea. That 3 part description may be the best description of how the early church began. But in our day that kind of connection has never been easier because of technology and the ease of access and delivery of information. The Crossing is a tribe and we can make a huge impact!

The thing I like about this book is that it says anyone can be a leader. That is exactly what the Bible teaches us. While not written as a book neccessarily for churches I think it is a book that helps us to understand how to be effective in this day. I want to recommend Tribes to you.

Off the Chain, Exodus 3-4

Have you ever been bugged by God? You know that nudge that tells you God wants you to do something? It may have been as simple as apologize to your spouse or go to church; or as big as share your faith with you neighbor, serve God in ministry, or forgive your abusive father. It is uncomfortable when God nudges us, calls us, pushes us to do something we may not want to do. That is where Moses was when he saw the burning bush...it was one big flaming nudge.

Moses was comfortable in Midian. His needs were met, he had a family, and though he wasn’t exactly changing the world as a shepherd, he had something to do. But God’s call of Moses was not only about freeing others, but also about freeing himself from slavery. God calls us to follow him, to live a life off the chain--free from anything that holds us back.

Where does God want to lead us?
1. Off the chain of the past to the freedom of the future. (Exo. 3:11) Moses has a regrettable past in Egypt but God made him face it.
2. Off the chain of distance from God to the freedom of partnership with Him. (Exo. 3:13) Moses didn't know God but serving him would be a powerful tutor.3. Off the chain of fear to the freedom of trusting Him. (Exo. 4:1) Moses was afraid of Pharaoh but facing him would force Moses to trust God.4. Off the chain of weakness to the freedom of strength in God. (Exo. 4:10) Moses had a glaring weakness but God would show him that through his weakness God can really shine.
5. Off the chain of a meaningless life to the freedom of changing lives. (Exo. 3, 4) Following God is never as easy as staying where you are but it is a lot easier than the stain of a meaningless life.

Don't say no to the nudge. And don't assume it is only about others. The key God is handing you unlocks your chains too.

Congratulations President-Elect Obama...You Are In My Prayers

Though there are many differences I have on policy with Barack Obama, I am excited for him and his supporters. While never having issues with race myself (one of my best friends in HS was an Afr-Amer named, Evan Saunders) I am happy that those who have struggled against racism finally have a man they feel truly represents them.

It says something good about us when 130+ million Americans go to the polls civilly and elect their first black president by a strong majority. I know racism still exists in many places but hopefully this election will do a lot of damage to it. I know white people who are afraid of black leaders. Maybe President Obama can put their fears to rest. I know black people who feel there is always an inequity to overcome in life. Maybe this election will tear down any real or imagined wall of injustice in front of every person of color. Maybe this can be a new day when racists on both sides have no real argument.

My hope primarily is that President Obama will follow the path of President Lincoln at the end of the Civil War when his second term began. Some around Lincoln then wanted the Southern leaders tried and hung for war crimes. Lincoln knew that these former enemies were now his countrymen and with the war's end, the future of the country hung in the balance. He resisted the radicals on both sides as well as the intoxication of his own power to cast a vision of a peaceful, united country. His image of America was inspiringly illustrated in his second inaugural address when Lincoln said,

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

For those who are cheering today for President Obama it may seem, as with President Lincoln, that a great civil war has been won. And in many ways it has. Now President Obama has a great opportunity and a monumental challenge. Will he use his power to attempt to subdue his opposition? Or will he resist those who want revenge and power and do what is right for America as God gives him the ability to see the right?

Unfortunately an assasin's bullet cut President Lincoln down before his conciliatory approach to reconstruction could be implemented. Without Lincoln's influence and political adroitness the reconstruction period spiraled into retribution and ugliness and lit the flames of racism still burning today (the KKK was born then). Ironically, President Obama, our first African-American president, may be able to complete some of the work of Father Abraham. Let us pray for him and support him as we can without abandoning our principles. Our prayers for him may be more vital than any contribution he has received. And let us love and accept our brothers and sisters on both sides of this election and make our new president's job easier.

Election Day Thoughts

I did my civic duty today for two hours. Long lines at the polling place tell us more people than ever care about this election. This also means that 4-8 years from now more people than ever are either going to be happy or disillusioned with their vote or with those who cast it. The victor better do well or the pendulum will swing in the opposite direction from their views. In other words all this energy better mean something good because today's big winner will be a huge loser down the road. And the country will be worse for it.

We need to pray for whoever wins because their job is going to be huge.

Losing the Grip

If God were running for the presidency what would his platform be? Based on Exodus 3:7-8 where we have been spending a lot of time, here isr you what God wants for you:
1. Freedom instead of bondage; “pry them loose from the grip of Egypt”
2. Opportunity instead of limits; “get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces”
3. Blessing instead of barrenness; “a land lush with milk and honey”
4. Responsibility instead of dependence; “the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite”

Having the Promised Land meant taking responsibility to conquer the land and all those "'ites" who occupied it. But the first responsibility was breaking free from the grip of the Egyptians. Many people have an area where they struggle spiritually or where they are in bondage. How do you break free from the grip of anything holding you back?

Guile must become honesty
Resignation must become defiance
Isolation must become teamwork
Pride must become humility

I shared with our congregation that I need to break free from the grip of food and how it affects me. So for me to break free in my diet, first of all there must be honesty instead of delusions about food. Secondly, I must have a defiant attitude that says I will not be be enslaved any longer. A defeated, resigned attitude will keep me bound. Thirdly, I cannot lose weight on my own. I need people to challenge me and help me. Isolation is my enemy...I get by with a little help from my friends. And lastly, pride will never allow me to have God's help. The Bible says God will, "Resist the proud but give grace to the humble." Pray, admit your weaknesses, and see how God will set you free from the grip of anything holding you back.